Posted: May 15th, 2023

Strategic Plan for the Department of Nursing

Assessment 3 Instructions: Strategic Plan Development
Develop a strategic plan for a department or division within a healthcare organization, taking a balanced scorecard approach.
Introduction
Nurse leaders will be increasingly called upon to collaborate in strategic planning as they partner in the redesign of health care in the United States (Institute of Medicine, 2011). To be an integral partner in healthcare redesign, nurse leaders must be able to leverage political power and data in strategic planning. Analytical tools, such as the balanced scorecard and SWOT analysis, are used to construct a solid, defensible strategic plan.

This assessment provides an opportunity for you to develop both the knowledge and skills required for strategic planning, using a balanced scorecard approach. With insight into the importance of an organization’s political landscape and a comprehensive understanding of the priorities of the organization you are studying, you are well-prepared to develop a strategic plan for a department or division within that organization.
Reference
Institute of Medicine, Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. National Academies Press.
Preparation
For this assessment, remember to use the same health care setting you chose in the previous assessment.

Note: The assessments in this course must be completed in the order presented; subsequent assessments should be built on both your earlier work and your instructor’s feedback on earlier assessments. If you choose to submit assessments prematurely, without considering and integrating your instructor’s feedback, your assessment may be returned ungraded, resulting in your loss of an assessment attempt.
Departmental strategic priorities must align with organizational priorities. To prepare for this assessment, consider how you might best represent these alignments graphically in an attractive, professional manner. For example, you might choose a crosswalk table, Venn diagram, or other format that clearly illustrates these alignments. Be creative in your approach. Use the organization’s colors or design your own color scheme. Keep in mind that these conceptual representations are intended for executive leaders and other stakeholders in the organization and community.
Instructions
Develop a strategic plan that establishes top priorities for a department or division, aligned with the organization’s strategic plan, which you appraised in Assessment 2. Include the following elements in your plan:
• A balanced scorecard for the department or division. The following interactive media may help you in constructing your balanced scorecard:
o A Balanced Scorecard for Change.
• A minimum of four departmental strategic priorities, one from each balanced scorecard domain (financial, customer, internal processes, learning and growth).
• Graphical representations showing alignments between the departmental strategic priorities and the organization’s strategic plan.Strategic Plan Format and Length

Strategic Plan Format and Length
Format your document using APA style.

• Use the APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] to help you in writing and formatting your strategic plan. Be sure to include:
o A title page and references page.
o An abstract and running head are not required.
o Appropriate section headings.
• Your appraisal should be 3–5 pages in length, excluding the title page and references page.
• Use the following section headings to ensure thorough content coverage and flow.
o Departmental Strategic Priorities.
o Effects of Organizational Policies.
• Add your balanced scorecard and graphical representations of priority alignments as appendices.

Evaluation
The following tasks correspond to the grading criteria in the assessment scoring guide, so be sure to address each point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.

• Determine departmental strategic priorities.
o Include at least one strategic priority for each balanced scorecard domain (financial, customer, internal processes, learning, and growth).
o Why are these priorities important?
o Are these priorities feasible?
• For example, do they reflect departmental objectives, available resources, and a specific time frame?
o Explain.
• Evaluate the effects of organizational policies on departmental strategic priorities.
o How do existing policies hinder or facilitate what you hope to accomplish?
• Align departmental strategic priorities with elements of an organization’s strategic plan.
o Represent the alignments graphically in a crosswalk table, Venn diagram, or any other format that clearly illustrates the alignments.
• Create a balanced scorecard for a department or division.
o Each scorecard domain must include an objective, performance metric, benchmark target, and prospective initiative.
o Submit your balanced scorecard as an appendix in your assessment.
• Communicate clearly and concisely in a form and style appropriate for the audience and for the substance, purpose, and context of the message being conveyed.
o Consider the needs of your audience.
o Be succinct and mindful of communication best practices.
o Carefully review your materials to avoid errors that could distract the audience and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your strategic plan.

Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
• Competency 3: Propose a strategic plan that integrates feedback from other disciplines and aligns with organizational priorities.
o Determine departmental strategic priorities.
o Align departmental strategic priorities with elements of an organization’s strategic plan.
o Create a balanced scorecard for a department or division.
• Competency 4: Recommend policy changes that support a strategic plan.
o Evaluate the effects of organizational policies on departmental strategic priorities.
• Competency 5: Address assessment purpose in effective written or multimedia presentations, incorporating appropriate evidence and communicating in a form and style consistent with applicable professional and academic standards.
o Communicate clearly and concisely in a form and style appropriate for the audience and for the substance, purpose, and context of the message being conveyed.

Develop a strategic plan for a department or division within a healthcare organization, taking a balanced scorecard approach. For this assessment, remember to use the same health care setting you chose in the previous assessment.

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Strategic Plan for the Department of Nursing

Introduction:
This strategic plan outlines the priorities for the Department of Nursing within the healthcare organization, building upon the organization’s strategic plan. By employing a balanced scorecard approach, this plan aims to align the department’s strategic priorities with the organization’s goals and objectives. The strategic plan will consist of a balanced scorecard framework, including four departmental strategic priorities, and graphical representations to demonstrate the alignment between departmental and organizational priorities.

Departmental Strategic Priorities:

Financial: Ensure sustainable financial performance while delivering high-quality patient care.

Strategic Priority: Enhance revenue generation through the optimization of nursing services and resource utilization.
Importance: This priority focuses on maximizing financial outcomes while maintaining excellent patient care standards. By optimizing resource allocation, the department can contribute to the organization’s financial stability and sustainability.
Customer: Improve patient satisfaction and engagement with nursing services.

Strategic Priority: Enhance patient experience through personalized and compassionate nursing care.
Importance: By prioritizing patient satisfaction and engagement, the department aims to improve overall patient outcomes, increase patient loyalty, and strengthen the organization’s reputation within the community.
Internal Processes: Enhance operational efficiency and quality of nursing services.

Strategic Priority: Implement evidence-based practice and standardized workflows to improve efficiency and quality.
Importance: By optimizing internal processes, the department can ensure consistent, safe, and efficient nursing care delivery. This priority aligns with the organization’s commitment to quality improvement and patient safety.
Learning and Growth: Foster a culture of continuous professional development and innovation.

Strategic Priority: Promote professional growth opportunities and encourage innovation among nursing staff.
Importance: Investing in learning and growth opportunities for nursing staff not only enhances their skills and knowledge but also contributes to improved patient outcomes and organizational advancement. This priority aligns with the organization’s commitment to fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.
Effects of Organizational Policies:
Existing policies can significantly impact the department’s strategic priorities. Some effects may include:

Resource allocation: Limited resources may hinder the achievement of financial and operational efficiency goals.
Staffing policies: Inadequate staffing levels may impact patient satisfaction and engagement, as well as the ability to implement evidence-based practices effectively.
Professional development support: Policies that support professional growth opportunities facilitate the department’s focus on learning and growth priorities.
Alignment with Organizational Strategic Plan:
The departmental strategic priorities align with the organization’s strategic plan as follows:

Financial: The department’s priority aligns with the organization’s goal of financial stability and sustainability, contributing to the overall financial objectives.

Customer: By improving patient satisfaction and engagement, the department supports the organization’s commitment to delivering patient-centered care and enhancing the patient experience.

Internal Processes: Enhancing operational efficiency and quality of nursing services directly supports the organization’s focus on quality improvement and patient safety.

Learning and Growth: Fostering a culture of continuous professional development and innovation aligns with the organization’s commitment to excellence and advancing healthcare practices.

Graphical Representations:
Please refer to the appendices for graphical representations that illustrate the alignment between the departmental strategic priorities and the organization’s strategic plan. These representations provide a visual overview of the connections and synergies between the two plans.

Balanced Scorecard:
Please refer to Appendix A for the balanced scorecard for the Department of Nursing. The scorecard includes the following components for each strategic priority:

Objective: Clearly defined objective related to the specific strategic priority.
Performance Metric: Measurable metric to evaluate the progress and success of the objective.
Benchmark Target: The desired level of performance to be achieved within a specific time frame.
Prospective Initiative: Proposed action or initiative to support the achievement of the objective.
Conclusion:
This strategic plan for the Department of Nursing establishes the top priorities aligned with the organization’s strategic plan. By utilizing the balanced scorecard approach, the department can strategically focus on financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth domains. The plan considers the effects of organizational policies and aims to align the departmental priorities with the organization’s goals. With a comprehensive roadmap in place, the department is well-positioned to contribute to the overall success of the healthcare organization.